Industrial Microbes announced a milestone in its fermentation route to acrylic acid, reporting successful scaled production of 100% bio-based, high-purity material with support from BioMADE. “This project is a great example of how U.S. bioindustrial manufacturing can deliver critical materials without relying on foreign inputs,” said Ashley Arnell, technology program manager at BioMADE.

Working with the Integrated Bioprocessing Research Lab, the company reports moving from gram-scale to 20-kilogram batches while increasing reactor volume from 2 liters to 1,500 liters, a 750× scale-up that indicates a path toward commercial deployment. Acrylic acid is used across consumer, industrial and defense applications, from architectural paint and adhesives to superabsorbent polymers, with the market projected to reach $18 billion by 2030.

Industrial Microbes says its process uses ethanol as a renewable feedstock and engineered microorganisms to combine multiple reaction steps in a single reactor at mild temperatures. The company also cites a purification approach that avoids toxic solvents and complex extractions. “By engineering our process with cost as an uncompromising design constraint, we’ve built a solution that can compete on economics and produce net-zero materials,” said Noah Helman, CEO and co-founder.

The platform extends to related monomers. The company is developing a route to acrylonitrile for carbon fiber, aiming to shorten time to market for bio-acrylonitrile. Industrial Microbes says it has secured multiple letters of intent across the value chain and is pursuing additional partnerships.

Check out related reading on PCI about resins/polymers.